Wikisource:WikiProject Film/Intertitles from GeoCities/Victory

Victory 1 Samburan, the Island of our tale, was a lonely, desert outpost in the Dutch East Indies.

2 It was here that Axel Heyst, for reasons best known to himself, had lived for two years in com- plete, impregnable solitude.

3 His only visitors were shadows - the shadows of a life foresworn, drawn from the books of his father, a writer of great vision and charm.

4 Heyst had permitted only one creature to share his self-made exile - Wang, his houseboy.

5 Up and down the Islands, even now, Heyst's myste- rious desire for seclusion still excited much comment adverse and otherwise.

6 Take Schomberg, the hotelkeeper of Soerabaja, who suspected every- thing he could not understand.

7 "A man don't hide away in a lonely island like that unless he's got something to hide from -"

8 "Don't be silly, Schomberg! Everybody knows that Heyst, in spite of his peculiar ideas, is perfectly harmless -"

9 Several weeks later, Heyst came to Soerabaja to cut the last links, com- mercial and otherwise, which bound him to civilization.

10 His business finished, Heyst found Soerabaja very dull, while he awaited a boat to take him home.

11 "These concerts cost a lot of money - but do you think that fellow Heyst would spend a florin to hear a little good music?"

12 "Please give me a ticket for the concert, Mrs. Schomberg -"

13 Zangiacomo, owner, manager and director of the Ladies Orchestra.

14 Madame Zangiacomo, his wife.

15 During the intermission Schomberg, with an eye to business, had stipulated that the lady performers favor the audience with their com- pany.

16 If you took Madame Zangiacomo's word for it, Alma, the first violin, was a stubborn, good-for-nothing little hussy!

17 "I'm sure that horrible female pinched you just now when she stood by your chair -"

18 "I'm quite sure of it myself -"

19 "Does that woman always treat you like that?"

20 "I'm used to it - people have been treating me like that all my life -"

21 "You're the one's to blame - that little piece wouldn't dare to put on airs with me unless she had you and Schomberg dangling on a string -"

22 "How did you get amongst this lot?"

23 "Bad luck - that's all. I've never had anything else, I sup- pose I never will -"

24 "You mustn't give up like that - are you sure you can't defend your- self somehow?"

25 "I'm afraid they're too many for me -"

26 After the morning rehearsal.

27 Speaking of signs, a woman who pow- ders her nose is not entirely without hope.

28 "Is that a new way you've got your hair fixed? It looks ever so much better -"

29 Surely the girl had not given her hair a new primp for this -

30 "Look here, you pretty little Hex, when are you going to give me a chance to have a nice, quiet talk with you?"

31 "Don't worry about the old woman! Say the word and I'll soon get rid of her -"

32 Heyst soon learned of Schomberg's clandestine pursuit of the girl.

33 "I've a good notion to go down and make a hole in the water - nobody would care -"

34 "Oh, if you do care, take me away - take me to that island of yours - anything to escape this -"

35 "Promise that you'll help me get away?"

36 Heyst's whole plan of life was to avoid situations like this, yet pity makes meddlers of us all.

37 "Schomberg and Zangiacomo will probably kick up an awful row if I try to walk off with you in broad daylight -"

38 "If we can get our things out of the hotel I might be able to hire a native junk to take us to Sam- buran."

39 "Ssh! Schomberg's room is right at the top of the stairs -"

40 "Don't you dare to thank me, you little hussy! I'm only too glad to get rid of you -"

41 "I thought I heard somebody prowling around in the gar- den, August -"

42 Into the beauty of the tropical dawn, Samburan bound.

43 Wherein Schomberg loses his appetite for an otherwise perfectly good breakfast.

44 "What have you done with that girl?"

45 "Your houseboy says that man Heyst also did not sleep in his room last night -"

46 "Heyst has stolen her! But I'll pay him off! I'll search the island - I'll search every ship -"

47 Schomberg, torn by the pangs of wounded vanity and thwarted passion, pros- ecuted a most thorough pursuit.

48 "Mr. Jones, do you think I've got time to run down and tap the skipper's strong box?"

49 "My dear Ricardo, I've already attended to that myself -"

50 "All right, we'll give your hotel a trial; my secretary, Mr. Ricardo, must have the room next to mine - you can do what you please with Pedro."

51 Schomberg, looking at life through a murderous gloom, soon found reason to suspect the integrity of his new guests.

52 "Why didn't you tell them that the rules of my house expressly forbid gambling?"

53 Near their journey's end.

54 "Oh, it's nothing dangerous - he only smokes intermit- tently - a puff or two after dinner, as the saying is -"

55 His hatred of Heyst and the flagrant conduct of his unwelcome guests kept Schomberg in a state of perpetual misery.

56 "Look here, I must ask you to leave - you are giving my house a bad name -"

57 "There's no use trying to put us out - if you do, somebody's going to get hurt -"

58 "We'll go when we get good and ready - not be- fore -"

59 "Be careful with Ricardo - I warn you he would think nothing of setting fire to this house of yours -"

60 "All right, gentlemen, do as you like. It is all one thing to me. I ap- pear to have nothing to say in my own house -"

61 On her arrival at Sam- buran the girl's first feeling was one of immense des- olation and despair.

62 The junk was gone; and she was alone on a desert isle with a man she scarcely knew.

63 "Oh, I'm afraid - I shouldn't have come -"

64 "You have nothing to fear from me - my scheme of life does not include women - I've always kept away from them -"

65 "To love, to slay - the greatest enterprises in life! And I have no experience of either - I have never loved a woman or killed a man - I hope I never shall -"

66 Quite by chance Schom- berg stumbled on a means of avenging himself on Heyst.

67 "It's the king of hearts -"

68 "You're not the first card shark I've seen perform that trick -"

69 "Did you hear him call me a card shark?"

70 "I apologize - don't stab me - I meant no harm - let me go and order a drink -"

71 "Oh, I wasn't going to hurt you - there ain't no technique, Mr. Jones often tells me, in ferocity -"

72 "Mr. Jones is always cautioning me against violence - he says it'll be the death of me one of these days -"

73 "I remember the time it was nearly the death of Pedro here -"

74 "Pedro put an edge on this once - for me and Mr. Jones -"

75 "It was three or four years ago - when me and Mr. Jones were hunting buried treasure down in South America -"

76 "Our bearers - Pedro and his pal had been carry- ing on kind of peculiar, like, for two or three days -"

77 "There they were, cool as you please, figuring on killing us before sundown - just for the sake of the few valuables in our pack -"

78 "The Guv'nor never turned a hair when I told him at supper. That's where a gen- tleman has the best of you. He don't get excited -"

79 "I was for finishing the handsome Pedro with his own knife -"

80 "But Mr. Jones, always the thoughtful gentle- man, reminded me that I could hardly carry both packs alone -"

81 "And Pedro's wor- shipped Mr. Jones ever since - and I will say there have been times when he was a great help -"

82 "Time and again I've seen him do it - crack! And the man's back snaps like a rotten stick -"

83 "How would you like to go on an- other treasure hunt?"

84 "Did you ever hear of a man by the name of Heyst?"

85 Very craftily, Schom- berg portrayed Heyst's island as the hiding place of great stores of ill-gotten gains....

86 Somewhat piqued at Heyst's attitude toward women, Alma tried to wound him, after the fashion of Eve, with her beauty.

87 "Did you write it?"

88 "I've tried to live by this plan - but it isn't as simple as it looks - not half -"

89 "Take your case - I knew it was dan- gerous for me to interfere - but you had your back to the wall, and I felt sorry for you -"

90 "Is that the only reason?"

91 "Well, I admit that you are a woman, and desirable - but pity formed the tie - and he who forms a tie is lost -"

92 "It isn't much fun to be alone in a place like this - with a man - who just feels sorry for you -"

93 "You mustn't take me too seriously - as a matter of fact, I'm really very fond of you -"

94 "May I ask what brings you gentle- men to this part of the world?"

95 "My dear fellow, we're just three men in a boat, come to see what we could see...."

96 "I'm sorry I can't offer you a share of my own quarters - but I think I can make you comfort- able in one of the other bungalows -"

97 "I came to get my keys and to tell you to keep out of sight - these men look like pretty tough characters -"

98 "Schomberg may have sent them - haven't you got a weapon?"

99 "What difference does it make? I wouldn't kill a man - even in my own defence."

100 "You have fingers like steel, my lady - I never saw a wo- man put up such a fight -"

101 "I don't blame Heyst for stealing you. I bet he's crazy about you, ain't he?"

102 "Why don't you stand in with us? We're your kind - we'll treat you right - I'll see that you get your share of the swag -"

103 "What d'you say? Will you come in with us?"

104 A little candle of hope suddenly flamed up in the girl's heart, illuminating the shrine she had erected to a man.

105 "By the way, has your gentlemen got a gun?"

106 "Not that I was worrying about it - I've got some- thing better than a gun myself -"

107 "Don't you trust me?"

108 "Don't you trust me - now?"

109 "Mr. Jones said I come help China boy cook -"

110 "I may be foolish, but I have a feeling of something slowly closing in on us -"

111 "I don't like the looks of this thing - we've got to get through with this business as quick- ly as we can -"

112 "It may take a couple of days to locate the plunder -"

113 "That old man up at Timor came around in very short order when we put that red hot flatiron on his stomach -"

114 "What'll we do with the girl - after we finish up?"

115 "Well, if she is pretty - I may take her along -"

116 "I think I'll go in and shave -"

117 Night came with heavy stealth, bring- ing a dreadful murk, broken now and then by the infernal glare of the pit.

118 "Mr. Jones is sick, he wants to see you for a minute -"

119 "You and me are going to leave the island tonight -"

120 "They're up to some- thing - run and hide in the jungle - come back when I give signal - three lighted candles on table -"

121 "I've got fever and chills - do you think a hot flat- iron would do me any good?"

122 "I think I better go and help your man locate that flatiron -"

123 "You mustn't be shocked, Mr. Heyst, if I tell you plainly that we are after your money -"

124 "Look here, girlie, you haven't been playing square with me -"

125 "Your gentleman is a dead card - you better stick to me - if you treat me right, I'll do anything you say -"

126 "Ricardo must be up to something - by Jove, it's that girl of yours! Now I know why he shaved this evening!"

127 "They're having their last talk together; who shall die first - my gentle- man or yours?"

128 "Come, I want you to see me kill - their blood will give our love a touch of color -"

129 "Don't touch me! You let that swine put his hands on you - I could have killed you both!"

130 "I did it for you - I was trying to save you - I would have done any- thing -"

131 "You kill too much - maybe you don't kill no more - Pedro he going to see -"

132 "When I saw that brute kissing your hand I went all to pieces - something happened to me - I know what a dreadful, wonder- ful thing love is -"

133 Something has indeed happened to Heyst. He was no longer the slave of an idea, but a man, free to slay and die for his woman.

134 "Have you gone mad? What are you up to?"

135 "You don't know - but that man you kill in fire one time down in South America - he my brother -"

136 "I've found it at last - Love and Death are the two great adventures in life, but the greater of these is Love."

FINIS

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